Course-Wide Assessment Evaluation for AR461 — Final Project
Written by Aaron Deetz
Department of Art & Design
Fall 2013
Courses Assessed
All sections of AR-461.
Relevant QCC General Education Objectives
1. Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and
speaking.
2. Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate
evidence in order to make informed decisions.
5. Integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study
10. Apply aesthetic and intellectual criteria in the evaluation or creation
of works in the humanities or the arts.
Relevant Course Objectives
1. Student will be able to demonstrate the technical ability to operate a
35mm camera through the use of proper aperture, shutter speed
and focus.
2. Student will be able to demonstrate the technical ability to make an
8x10 photographic enlargement using proper tone, contrast and
focus.
3. During critique student will demonstrate the ability to discuss
photography in terms of technical merit, aesthetic value and
conceptual meaning.
4. Student effectively communicates their unique vision through personal
artistic expression and conceptual meaning using the visual
language of symbolism and metaphor.
The following is a matrix illustrating the alignment of relevant QCC
general education objectives and relevant course objectives with student
learning outcomes.
Assessment of Photography 1 (AR-461) – Queensborough Community College
Alignment of General Education Objectives and Course Objectives with Student Learning Outcomes
General Education
Objectives
#5 Integrate knowledge
and skills in their program of
study.
#2 Use analytical
reasoning to identify issues
or problems and evaluate
evidence in order to make
informed decisions
#1 Communicate
effectively through reading,
writing, listening and
speaking.
#10 Apply aesthetic and
intellectual criteria in the
evaluation or creation of
works in the humanities or
the arts.
Course Objectives
Learning Outcomes
 Student will be able to
demonstrate the technical
ability to operate a small
format 35mm camera through
the use of proper aperture,
shutter speed, focus and
developing.
 Student will be able to
demonstrate the technical
ability to make an 8x10
photographic enlargement
using proper tone, contrast
and focus.
 During critique student will
demonstrate the ability to
discuss photographic works in
terms of technical merit,
aesthetic value, and
conceptual meaning.
 Student effectively
communicates their unique
vision through personal artistic
expression and conceptual
meaning using the visual
language of symbolism and
metaphor.
 Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to
produce a roll of film which has been properly
exposed and developed. The film negatives will
have clear edges, well defined dark and light areas
of exposure, sharp focus and will be suitable for
producing an 8x10 photograph.
 Student is able to consistently produce a 8x10
photographic print with full tonal range between
shadow and highlights with proper contrast and
sharp focus.
 Student is comfortable using appropriate
terminology to describe technical, aesthetic, and
conceptual elements of a photographic print.
Student displays familiarity with the work of
contemporary and historical photographers.
 Student is able to consistently express their own
artistic vision through technically proficient
photographic prints that utilize symbolism and
metaphor to express conceptual ideas through
multiple layers of meaning.
The Department of Art & Design has developed these rubrics to
measure student learning outcomes. The rubrics are shown below. Each
student is measured within a matrix corresponding to each rubric. For
each rubric their are four categories of achievement; excellent
(capstone), good (milestone), fair (milestone), and poor (benchmark).
Excellent is achieved in a specific skill when the student is able to
demonstrate mastery consistently throughout the instrument and is
awarded 4 points. Good is achieved in a specific skill when the student is
able to demonstrate mastery of most of the time but lacks consistency
and is awarded 3 points. Fair is given to a student who occasionally
exhibits mastery of a skill but is mostly inconsistent and is awarded 2 points.
Poor is given to a student who is unable to exhibit mastery of a skill and is
awarded 1 point. The numbers appearing next to each category
represent the number of students who scored that specific level of skill for
each student outcome. The following is a matrix representing the raw
data produced by the instrument.
Assessment of Photography 1 (AR-461) – Queensborough Community College
Learning Outcomes/Rubrics – Raw Data
Learning Outcomes
 Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to produce a roll of film
which has been properly exposed and developed. The film negatives will
have clear edges, well defined dark and light areas of exposure, sharp
focus and will be suitable for producing an 8x10 photograph.
 Student is able to consistently produce a 8x10 photographic print with full
tonal range between shadow and highlights with proper contrast and
sharp focus.
 Student is comfortable using appropriate terminology to describe
technical, aesthetic, and conceptual elements of a photographic print.
Student displays a familiarity with the work of contemporary and historical
photographers.
 Student is able to consistently express their own artistic vision through
technically proficient photographic prints that utilize symbolism and
metaphor to express conceptual ideas through multiple layers of
meaning.
Excellent
4 pts.
33
Good
3 pts.
39
Fair
2 pts.
22
Poor
1 pt.
9
26
36
30
11
25
31
33
14
38
34
24
7
Once the raw data has been compiled the scores are then weighted
from 4 points (excellent) to 1 point (poor). The weighted scores are as
follows:
Assessment of Photography 1 (AR-461) – Queensborough Community College
Learning Outcomes/Rubrics – Weighted Score
Learning Outcomes
 Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to produce a roll of film which has been properly
exposed and developed. The film negatives will have clear edges, well defined dark and light
areas of exposure, sharp focus and will be suitable for producing an 8x10 photograph.
 Student is able to consistently produce a 8x10 photographic print with full tonal range between
shadow and highlights with proper contrast and sharp focus.
 Student is comfortable using appropriate terminology to describe technical, aesthetic, and
conceptual elements of a photographic print. Student displays a familiarity with the work of
contemporary and historical photographers.
 Student is able to consistently express their own artistic vision through technically proficient
photographic prints that utilize symbolism and metaphor to express conceptual ideas through
multiple layers of meaning.
Weighted Score
302
283
273
309
Assessment Results Evaluation
For each AR461 course students complete a final project that is
made up of 10-15 photographic prints representing the culmination of the
semesters work. Students must utilize the skills learned in the course
necessary to meet the QCC general education objectives as well as the
course objectives. The Art & Design Department breaks down the learning
outcomes into two categories: technical and conceptual. Technical
refers to the mastery of the photographic equipment used in the course;
35mm camera and photographic enlarger. Conceptual refers to the
student ability to use photography to achieve a unique voice that
conveys multiple layers of meaning. Students must exhibit mastery of both
technical skills and conceptual ideas in order to receive a high grade on
the final project. The first two learning outcomes are associated with the
technical skills of operating a 35mm camera and the photographic
enlarger. The third and fourth learning outcomes are associated with the
conceptual ideas utilized in the photographic work.
First learning outcome, “Students will be able to demonstrate the
ability to produce a roll of film which has been properly exposed and
developed. The film negatives will have clear edges, well defined dark
and light areas of exposure, sharp focus and will be suitable for producing
an 8x10 photograph.” Weighted score: 302.
Overall the students performed very well on the technical aspects
of operating a 35mm camera. 70% of the students in the AR461 course
scored either excellent or good which means a large majority of them
have mastered the skill set. In addition, understanding how the technical
aspects of aperture, shutter speed and focus work to create an image will
serve them well if they continue to take advanced photography courses.
Second learning outcome, “Student is able to consistently produce
a 8x10 photographic print with full tonal range between shadow and
highlights with proper contrast and sharp focus.” Weighted score: 283.
For the second learning outcome there was a noticeable drop in
the students achieving a score of excellent. Additionally, there was a
marked increase in students performing fair or poor. This may be indicative
of many students having difficulty working in the darkroom environment
for the first time. The student performance for the first learning outcome
demonstrates they know the basic technical information of aperture,
shutter speed and focus. However when they are placed in an
environment where they have limited visual references it may be difficult
for them to make the transition.
Third learning outcome, “Student is comfortable using appropriate
terminology to describe technical, aesthetic, and conceptual elements of
a photographic print. Student displays a familiarity with the work of
contemporary and historical photographers.” Weighted score: 273.
One area of difficulty for many students is being able to articulate
the conceptual ideas that are portrayed in their own photography or the
photography of their peers. Of the four learning outcomes students
scored lowest on the third learning outcome based on their ability to
describe basic technical, aesthetic, and conceptual ideas portrayed in a
photographic print. They know the who, the what, the where—but when it
comes to the why they struggle. In addition, when it comes to complex
photographic terminology such as ‘depth of field’ students know what it
means technically when they are using the camera, but struggle to
articulate those same ideas when speaking about work in a critique
setting.
Fourth learning outcome, “Student is able to consistently express
their own artistic vision through technically proficient photographic prints
that utilize symbolism and metaphor to express conceptual ideas through
multiple layers of meaning.” Weighted score: 309.
More students scored excellent on the fourth learning outcome
than any other category with the highest weighted score of all learning
outcomes. Although a significant percentage (39.8% based on the
second learning outcome) of students struggle with the technical work in
the darkroom, the fourth learning outcome demonstrates that they are
successful when it comes to imbedding conceptual meaning into their
photographic images. Overall the fourth outcome should be considered
an area of strength for the AR461 course.
Action Plan
Based upon the assessment results of the four student learning
outcomes for the AR461 course there are two identifiable areas of
strength and two outcomes that need improvement. Technically the
students have a strong understanding of how to use the 35mm camera
successfully, but when they enter the darkroom they struggle to find that
same success working with the photographic enlargers. Conceptually the
students excelled at giving their own photographs multiple layers of
meaning and moving beyond simply photographing the object itself. Yet,
when it came articulating and identifying conceptual ideas in their own
work and the work of their peers they often struggle to use and
understand the appropriate terminology.
The darkroom. One area the students struggled technically was
working in the darkroom using photographic enlargers. Specifically, they
struggled with the contrast of a print often times producing work that was
either too gray lacking true blacks and whites, or produced too much
contrast lacking a full tonal range. In order to achieve the correct contrast
students must use filters, which are not supplied and can be cost
prohibitive for some. Currently the Art & Design Department is in the
process of upgrading the black and white enlargers so that they will have
a built-in filter system. There are 11 enlargers and only 2 have the filter
system, but as annual upgrades continue the new enlargers should allow
the students to have more technical control over their photographic prints
without the financial burden of purchasing a filter pack.
Concepts and terminology. Although students excelled at using
complex conceptual elements in their photographic images, they often
had trouble identifying and articulating those concepts in the critique
setting. Students inherently understood what they wanted to achieve
conceptually while photographing, and had the technical skills with the
35mm camera to achieve those goals. However what they lack is the
appropriate vocabulary and terminology to articulate those concepts
when speaking about work. A greater emphasis should be placed
equipping students with vocabulary they need to speak articulately about
their work. Providing course study guides focusing on photographic
terminology, assigning low stakes writing assignments to augment the
photographic work, and stressing appropriate concepts and terms in a
lecture setting will enhance the students knowledge and understanding.
Additionally, prioritizing in-class discussions and critiques will allow students
to feel more comfortable speaking about their work in front of an
audience.
The rubric. While the current set of rubrics was successful in
identifying areas of competence for those enrolled in the AR461 course,
further refinement will be necessary in future assessment. Currently there
were four student learning objectives associated with the rubric, two
focused on technical knowledge and two focused on conceptual ideas.
Future assessment instruments should be refined and broaden these two
categories to include additional student learning objectives in order to
better evaluate student work.
Artifacts
The following artifacts are samples of student work produced in the AR461
course arranged from the most successful to the least successful.